Maplewood Park expansion on the table again

The proposal to purchase six parcels from the Fall River Diocese to add open space to Maplewood Park will be before the City Council Committee on Real Estate for a second time, and with the support of its chairman.

FALL RIVER — The proposal to purchase six parcels from the Fall River Diocese to add open space to Maplewood Park will be before the City Council Committee on Real Estate for a second time, and with the support of its chairman.

“I want to get this for the park and save the park, I don’t want houses,” said City Councilor Leo Pelletier, who chairs the committee. “Once the land is part of the park it will always be the park.”

Pelletier said Maplewood residents have been putting pressure on some councilors “who are on the fence” to approve the sale of the land for $435,000.

There has been some resistance by some city councilors regarding whether the city can afford to take on more debt since the city would have to go out to bond on the property.

During a council meeting earlier this month when City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros presented a proposed purchase and sale agreement with the diocese, City Councilor Linda Pereira stated the city couldn’t afford to spend money.

The property is owned by the Holy Trinity Parish and the diocese had subdivided the land into a total of eight parcels on Chicago Street meant to be sold for single-family homes.

Earlier this year, two other parcels were purchased for the park by the city with $122,500 in proceeds from a state grant that helped finance the $175,000 purchase of a vacant lot and a parking lot next to Maplewood Park on Stafford Road that belonged to the diocese.

The effort to purchase the additional land began in April when the real estate committee, at the urging of Maplewood Neighborhood Association and led by Pelletier, when it was discussed to take the church’s land by eminent domain.

A resolution to have the city take the land was tabled.

Pelletier said he understands the reluctance the council has to borrow particularly after it was discovered Mayor Will Flanagan used funds meant for capital improvement projects to upgrade his office bathroom and install an $8,000 glass door to the city’s law department.

“I know nobody likes to bond with the situation upstairs, there’s no appetite for it,” Pelletier said, “but it’s the only way.”

Pelletier said he could foresee the city going out for a short-term bond. While there is no money available from the Community Preservation Act account this year, Pelletier said next year the committee that oversees the funds could give “a small commitment” of money to put toward the payment of the bond for five years.

Originally the diocese gave the city until Aug. 15 for the City Council to approve the agreement and vote to go out to bond to cover the cost of the land.

Page 2 of 2 - However, when the matter was brought before the council on Aug. 14 by the administration, the council declined to take a vote and sent it back to real estate committee citing a procedural technicality.

Viveiros said the diocese agreed to extend the deadline until Sept. 24.